A small body curled up in the back of an alleyway, arms wrapped tightly around its legs. The boy eyes slowly opened cautiously as the first drops of water hit the back of his neck and slid under his thin flimsy T-shirt. The rain quickly intensified and the small figure was completely soaked within thirty seconds. The dark night sky was covered with clouds and no light made it to the back of the alleyway except for the occasional light in the apartments that rose high above him. He levered himself up leaning heavily upon the wooden fence as cramped muscles were forced into action and a small moan escaped his lips before he could stop it.

The pale aqua eyes closed for a moment, and he listened to the sound of the rain as it pounded onto the cement and splatter as it fell off the surrounding buildings roofs. Exhausted he was tempted to just let his eyes shut and drift back wondrous sleep. Taking stock of his condition he opened his eyes halfway and gazed down at his body. The light but faded blue of the short sleeve T-shirt that clung to his wet frame contrasted sharply with the dark livid bruises that stood out from the pure skin. Worn bellbottoms with holes in both knees gripped his thighs and calves and the bottoms hid the top of his mud covered converse. He felt his matted hair clinging to the nape of his neck and in front of his eyes slightly obscuring his view. He brushed the blond locks impatiently out of his face to a more comfortable position behind his ears.

He had been on the run for several days; eating little and sleeping less. Sunken eyes and his shaking limbs betrayed his exhaustion and his already thin frame was looking positively emancipated now. It had to be at least a week now since he to run, run for his miserable existence, run from his previous 'safe spot' under a bridge, where water slowly trickled past his bed and ran over small waterfalls formed by cracks in the cement. 'Bullies that preyed on weaklings like me never came there,' he thought disgustedly, 'neither did the creepy old men who smelt of liquor.' His water had always hidden him when the bullies pulled a knife on him but it did nothing to stop the 'shadows'. There were many times that the water was the only thing that willed him to go on, to adapt to the wretched artificial life he was forced into living. Water continued no matter what object blocked its path, overcoming obstacles in an unstoppable will to move forward. 'I wish I could do the same right now...'

Exhausted eyes peered to the end of the alleyway. He tried to remember how he had arrived in this dark alleyway, but days had blended together in his weary mind and he couldn't truly remember how he had gotten there. He supposed he must of passed out when he had sat down for a quick break.

A sense of pressing urgency, that let him know when the 'shadows' were nearing him, suddenly arose again and he knew he had to get moving. Why he felt this, he had no clue. All he knew was that these 'shadows' were like the bullies except these do more than just kill him if he let them get too close. He didn't know why they had started chasing him only that it started from the point his memory ended.

He knew he had stayed here for far too long brooding on a past that would never be retrieved, and his sense of urgency turned into an outright terror. No wind could be felt this night, though the rain was pouring down harder than ever, and it didn't feel as if it would improve at all tonight. He was a little shocked that it wasn't snowing or hailing, for the cold that was sending exaggerated shivers down his spine, and felt as if it was air was freezing him into an ice cube. However he was thankful that it was just rain. Rain he could deal with. Ice and snow would make the ground slippery and just wouldn't feel as right or as safe as the rain did.

Forcing his screaming body into movement, he picked up his right foot and took a hesitant step forward, wincing as the foot contacted the ground sending a shooting pain up his leg. Leaning up against the left side of the brick wall, he continued, limbs shaking in exhaustion and he could only grimace as the pain continued. But he was used to pain. He could endure this, if only it would get him away from the 'shadows'.

As he neared the end of the alleyway, he felt his energy leave him as his knees collapsed and the ground rose up to meet him. Crumpling like a broken rag-doll thrown away, he was helpless stop his decent. The rough brick of the walls scraped the skin of his arms and face away as he slid down it, breaking the skin and leaving a small red trail that was soon washed away by the rain. He let out an animal-like cry as tears burned in his eyes and he felt his doom approach. He had fallen half sitting up, facing the street, he didn't even have the strength to stand. He blinked slowly, his vision fading in and then out of blackness, and saw the small deadly shadow forms approaching. The end was drawing near and he felt a cold relief as he knew the pain, the terror, and the nonstop flight was nearing an end.

However the darkness wouldn't be granted to him just yet. His adrenaline rose as he saw the shadows approaching him and their erratic gate made him dizzy as they faded into the sidewalk only to appear ten feet away from their previous position. His deadened limbs just would not obey him as he tried to get up. Run away! But he could only watch helplessly as the 'shadows' jumped down from the steel gutters that lined the roofs of the apartments, came from the outside on the street, and he could hear them drop into the water as the fell from off the wooden fence behind him. The claws that rested on the ends of the 'shadows' limbs were sharp enough to rend flesh and create wounds that would take a long time to heal.

He gave a slight whimper and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the terrible thoughts and visions of the 'shadows' claws tearing into his flesh and the crimson blood that gushed out to paint the surrounding brick walls a deeper shade of red. Opening his pale orbs once more, for it was far more frightening with them shut, he saw the 'shadows' reach him. A 'shadow' reached him and jumped up and breaking the tender flesh of his bicep as it slashed at him. A scream escaped his pale, tightly closed lips and he threw his head back letting it out. It felt as if someone had poured acid on his arm as the pain flowered and raced up his nerves to his brain. His body was racked with pain, and one of the 'shadows' flew at him from behind and his cheek collided with the cemented ground as his head faced the opposite wall.

The sheer amount of 'shadows' astounded him, for who would go to this much trouble to eliminate a nobody like him. He felt each blow that landed upon him individually; the fabric of his shirt giving way so claws could tear at his back, scratches that burned on his skull as the monsters ripped their way through his hair, and claws that ripped their way through his jeans to get at the soft flesh that lay below.

He body grew colder and colder as the red life giving substance left him, but the pain was leaving him as he slowly slipped away into unconsciousness. He watched impassively as his blood ran down his body to mix with water and flow away into a dip in the cement five feet away. He wished he was stronger or at least not such a stupid, useless weakling that he had been so often called that he could fight back or at least run away. He concentrated on the pool of blood and water that was pooling up in the crack, irrationally trying to will it to rise up and defend him. Slowly the water rose unnaturally, forming a rough figure that looked, if you squinted hard enough, like the boy himself though not as distinct.

The form moved unsteadily forward throwing the 'shadows' into the walls so hard, that their impact destroyed them, leaving them to dissipate into the air as it reached the boy. It made a swipe over the boys back, lightly brushing it with cool water, and knocked off the 'shadows' that were attacking him. The water that landed on his back cooled his wounds as at the same time it sent a fire racing up his veins. Wounds that went unnoticed before suddenly burned then faded slowly to a tolerable throbbing. It sent new vigor into his limbs and he shot up, eyes opened wide, pressing his back up against the wall ignoring the pain that the pressure caused his half-healed wounds.

"Th-Th-Thanks" he stuttered from shivering lips wet with moisture. The form ignored him and turned back to the hoards of 'shadows' that were approaching it and collapsed, dissolving back into a pool of water and blood, as the boys concentration lapsed.

As soon as he relaxed for that single moment, thinking that the form had saved him, the bloody water dissolved out of the shape his fear had placed upon it. The alleyway was still teeming with 'shadows' and now there was nothing in their way to get to him, and he was even more tired than before. Closing his eyes, he braced himself for death while at the same time raising a small knife that he had pulled out of the sheath on his ankle.

A searing heat passed by his closed eyelids, singing even his soaked clothes by its heat and he let out a yelp of surprised as he tried to jump backwards. This didn't work. There was an inconvenient wall standing in his way, and slamming his head didn't knock it over, although it almost knocked him out. After his vision had cleared up, he saw a man sauntering forwards, confident and cocksure, and somehow at the same time giving off an aura of abject misery.

"Why?! Why must it always be raining when Xemnas sends me out on a mission?! Darkness take it all!" He raised the two red and silver chakrams, round with eight spikes sticking out of smaller circles, and ripped through the multitudes of 'shadows' leaving a trail of fire wherever he went. Every so often, the red head would raise one of those sharp chakrams gutting a 'shadow' as it sought an advantage by attacking from above. His swift movements made quick work of the small beings, which somehow no longer seemed so threatening.

The bright red hair stood spiked up in defiance of the rain. The mans black coat reached the ground, with a brightly polished zipper that ran all the way up to his base of his neck.

"The names Axel, got it memorized?" Axel said in an irritated tone of voice as he leaned over slightly so his eyes were on level with the boy's. "Man you look pretty beaten, why you'd let those wimpy lil buggers run all over you huh? I saw you use some magic! Why didn't you do that before? Then I wouldn't of had to come and save your lazy ass!"

Axel's nose was inches away from his own and he wished he wasn't backed up against the wall so then he could back up some more. This was much to close for comfort. He squinted his eyes shut tightly hoping the Axel would just go away. 'Magic? What in the world... Was that what that water thingy-ma-bob was?' He licked his lips and a melodic voice asked, "Wha... What do you wa-want with me mister? Thank you for savin' me an' all but I think I'll be leavin' now, 'kay?"

The boy started to edge off, trying to get away from this weirdo, but before he could get far Axel gripped the back of his tattered T-shirt with warm leather gloves and threw him over his shoulder. The boy started flailing about violently hitting the back of Axels back as he panicked and attempted to escape Axels' tight grip around his knees.

Axel bent down and dropped him letting him fall hard on his posterior, making his wounds give a sympathetic throb of agony. The pain left him gasping and Axel calmly bent down and brushed his lips against the boy's ear. He was so shocked at the sudden intimate contact on the sensitive flesh that he almost missed the whispered words, "Darkness take it all. Your going to sleep now until we get to Vexen's stupid lab and get you fixed up," as he felt a hard blow to the back of his neck and blessed darkness.

On that note:

Please Review and Respond! I don't want to leave this hanging, but I want to know what you think of my story (The good? The bad? Anything that was particularly interesting/annoying, something that you felt could have gone differently, even flames are welcome as long as you tell me what needed to be flamed, anything)! Let me know if you find any gross inaccuracy/spelling errors. I do review my works but I'm kinda dyslexic, so I can read but spelling/grammar SUCKS!

--Hands out amazing Demyx and Axel keychains to readers-- Thanks for coming and stay tuned for chapter two! 3 -